CEE Federal Election Report Card

October 14, 2015

For Immediate Release

Toronto, Ontario - The Central and Eastern European Council in Canada, representing the interests of nearly 4 million Canadians of CEE heritage has released a federal election report card based on questionnaires, media releases and other publicly available material including party policy platforms.

Each of the three major parties’ positions on Central and Eastern European issues are outlined on the CEEC website CEECOUNCIL.ORG . Examples of leaders’ positions are individually outlined as well.

Among the candidates who have been noted for their support of CEE issues are, Jason Kenney, Chrystia Freeland, Borys Wrzesnewskyj, Ted Opitz, Wladyslaw Lizon, Chris Alexander and Peggy Nash.

The CEEC applauds the strong positions taken by all three parties on CEE community issues, yet there remain some differences among them.

The Memorial to The Victims of Communism

Each of the three major parties support the construction of the memorial, yet differ as to where it should be located. The CEEC supports both the memorial project and its planned location.

Magnitsky Sanctions to Target Human Rights Abusers in Russia

All three parties agree that Canada’s sanction regime needs to be updated. The Liberal Party supports adopting Magnitsky Sanctions to target Russian human rights abusers with visa bans and asset freezes, as does the NDP. The Conservatives have also included similar global legislation in their platform but

have not used the ever important “Magnitsky” name in their version. Both the Liberal Party and NDP have pledged to add close Putin billionaire advisors Vladimir Yakunin and Igor Sechin to Canada’s current list.

Condemnation of the Annexation of Crimea and Military Aid to Ukraine

All three parties strongly condemn the annexation of Crimea as well as Russia’s aggression towards Ukraine. All three parties support a continuation of Canada’s military training mission in Ukraine. Liberal candidates, including Borys Wrzesnewskyj are calling for lethal aid to be sent to Ukraine.

The CEEC congratulates all parties and candidates who have committed to this long campaign. We call on all members of the CEE communities in Canada to exercise their democratic right on October 19th and vote.